


Reconciliation

by nerdzeword



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, dramione - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-31
Updated: 2014-12-08
Packaged: 2018-02-11 04:25:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2053536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdzeword/pseuds/nerdzeword
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are a lot of things Draco regrets. Letting the famous mobster, Tom Riddle into his private school is one of them. Falling in love with Hermione Granger? Well he was still trying to figure that one out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, I started this as a coffee shop AU. I'm not quite sure it will stay that way. I'll continue it as long as I have people requesting it!

Hermione rung up the last customer in the Starbucks where she worked.  
“That'll be $3.64.” She told the disgruntled woman with a smile. The woman gave her a strained smile, taking the coffee with a grateful thanks. Before the woman reached the door, a man walked in, holding the door open for her as she went though. Hermione had to stifle a groan at the sight of him. She had been hoping she could study some before he got there, luck wasn't favoring her today. She eyed reproachfully, not even bothering to hide her distaste. He was one of those regulars that she couldn't even just prepare what he wanted and make him leave, because every single day he ordered a different thing. The ass.

“What's with the long face there Granger? Didn't you miss me?” She glared at him and wrote his name on his cup. She never had to ask what his name was, she had known the prick since elementary school. Never would she have imagined that he would still be tormenting her. But that was Malfoy for you.  
“Miss you? Nope, can't say I did.” He grinned and stared at the menu for a long minute, the way he did every day, before ordering a Caramel Mocha. Hermione set to work on his Mocha as he threw jibes at her.  
“So how many times have you had to clean up after someone spilled coffee on the floor today?” He asked her with a smirk. He leaned on the counter and waited for her to reply. Hermione just grit her teeth and waited for the machine to get a move on. She made a note to look up how to fix it later, this was not normal. Malfoy leaned further forward over the counter in order to poke her. Then he noticed the books she had stacked on the stool behind the counter. Hermione swore under her breath and waited for the new wave of snide remarks. The man raised an eyebrow at her.  
“You really are a bookworm aren't you.” He leaned back against the counter. “Not done with being a know it all yet? Or do you just really like working here?”  
“Maybe I'm going to college because I want to work for respect rather than just buying, or begging daddy for it!” Hermione snapped He gasped and put a hand over his heart  
“That hurts Granger, it really does.” then he grinned “So it's the second then. Knew it.” It was all Hermione could do to not throw the coffee she had just made at him. It would almost be worth it to see his face. Almost.  
“$4.12 Malfoy.” he tossed a five on the counter, making sure to display the wads of bills that filled the wallet was he did so. Damn she hated the man. He smirked at her as he took the coffee and took it to sit in his usual corner.

 

Draco loved this coffee shop. Sure he loved teasing Granger (he hadn't had any real negative feelings toward her since before they'd left school) but as much as he teased, she really did make the best coffee around. Plus, it gave him an excuse to watch her without her knowing. The way he was now. He eyed her carefully, her hair was nowhere near as frizzy and explosive as it was when they were growing up, but it was still larger than any hair had the right to be, and so curly, it was a wonder she was able to get a brush through it at all. At the moment, she had it in a ponytail on top of her head, the way she always did when he came in. He supposed it was because of work codes or something, because he could never remember her ever putting it up while they were in school. Granger was a creature of habit, he doubted she would change her appearance at all without some form of outside prompting. Her face was full, but way taunter than it had been in school, as if she had seen a lot of heartache. Draco knew she had seen a lot of heartache. He was responsible for some of it. Not directly, but he could have stopped it. There wasn't a day that passed that he didn't regret what he did. That was another reason he came to see her every day. As a reminder. A reminder of his vow to change how business worked. He wouldn't let her get hurt again. He smiled into his coffee cup as he watched her study. He loved watching her study, always had. The way she bit her lip when she was searching for something, the way her eyes lit up when she found it. The way she tucked her hair behind her hair every five seconds because one strand would inevitably escape and fall into her face while she worked. Ever since sophomore year, he'd daydreamed about pushing that very curl from her face. Except in his dreams she wasn't studying.  


Draco contemplated how he managed to get into these positions. He was Draco Malfoy, he wasn't supposed to be nervous around girls, he was supposed to be smooth, and sweep them off their feet, It worked on every other girl he came across, so why were insults the only things he could say to the one girl he actually wanted to impress? Because she was Hermione Granger, that’s why. She wasn't like any of the other girls that he had flirted with in high school. She wasn't interested in his money, or his looks, she was interested in whether or not he was a good person, and so far, he'd done a fantastic job at showing her that was exactly what he wasn't. How was he supposed to know that when Mr. Riddle broke into the school, he and his friends would start shooting everyone in his path? How was Draco supposed to know that that was the day of the school board meeting and dozens of parents and ex-students would be there as well? How was he supposed the know that he had inadvertently caused the injuries and deaths of dozens of people. Including some close friends of the girl he had been crushing on since seventh grade. There was no way to know about all of that, but it didn't change the fact that it was his information that had gotten all of those people killed and his father incarcerated.

He had screwed up big time.

The problem was, he had no idea how to go about solving it. He knew he could stand to be a bit nicer to Granger, although, years of habit died hard. But he doubted that would be enough to convince her that he really had changed. Even if it did, there were a lot more people that were affected by his decisions, Hermione wasn't the only one he had hurt. Despite all that, he was trying to change. He had inherited his father's company after his incarceration and, with the help of his mother, Narcissa, had rebuilt the entire companies infrastructure so that it no longer relied on illegal imports or exports to run properly, he had also taken to sending people out to homeless shelters to find people that were qualified for positions rather than just hiring the pretentious snobs that usually came through his interviews. While it may not have helped the people that were already hurt by his ignorance, it would ensure that noting similar would happen again. Not from his neck of the woods anyway.

He frowned into his cup. It was empty which meant that he had to cease his appraisal of his former rival's beautiful figure and actually return to work. Sighing, Draco tossed the cup into the trash and sent a smirk at Hermione, who noticeable bristled. It suddenly occurred to him what she had said earlier about not buying his way to the top. A plan began to form in his mind at the thought and he quickly left the building in the direction of his office. He had a lot of work ahead of him.

Hermione watched him leave with a disgusted look. She didn't actually hate him. Not really. Even if the only thing he did was tease her, it was different from the way he teased her in school. More easygoing. Almost friendly. She shoved that idea out of her head. There was nothing friendly about Malfoy. Nothing at all. But she knew she was lying to herself. He was different somehow. Haunted maybe. And the way he watched her when he thought she wasn't looking, it was sad, almost wistful. She didn't understand it. If he had actually changed, why did he insist on acting like a complete prat? Still, she couldn't deny that puberty had done good things for him and he looked every bit the part of the god people seemed to think he was in school.

She shook the stray thoughts from her head and checked the time. As she thought, time to close up. Hermione halted suddenly. Why had Malfoy gone back in the direction of his office? When he came in this late, he usually went straight home afterward. And was it her imagination, or did he look like he hadn't slept in a while?

Hermione shook her head as she busied herself with her closing duties. This was Malfoy she was thinking about here. Did it really matter if he’d slept in a while? It sort of alarmed her when she realized that for some reason it did in fact matter to her. It mattered a lot. She silently cursed herself for even thinking about caring about Draco Malfoy. The man was nothing but a nuisance. Unfortunately for her, she knew that wasn’t actually the case. She had seen all of the reparations he had made to the victims of the shooting, some of them firsthand.

And while his teasing was annoying and slightly embarrassing, she had the feeling it was more out of habit than anything else. Not that she thought he would ever admit it as such.  


In all reality, since she was up for graduation soon, she was looking into jobs and so far Malfoy Inc. was the only company whose policies coincided with her own strict views on research and laboratory experimentation. She didn’t go through four years of college for genetic research just to get incarcerated for illegal research. She supposed that if she wanted a job at Malfoy Inc. She should probably try sucking up to the CEO. But she couldn’t find it in her to even think about sucking up to the selfish prat who had bullied her throughout school. She sighed, slightly disgruntled at her own stubbornness. Maybe one day she would be able to hold an intelligent conversation with Malfoy, without wanting to strangle him.


	2. The Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of the characters belong to Queen Jo.  
> I just realized I forgot to put a note on the first chapter. oops. 
> 
> Thanks to those of you who gave feedback!

Draco paced around his office, a nervous wreck of confusion. What was he thinking? But the more he thought about his plan, the more it seemed like it would work. Plus it would get his mother off his back. Pushy woman.

His plan was not the most financially secure of plans; there were dozens of ways it could go wrong, but he had a gut feeling about this and last time he ignored a gut feeling 20 people ended up in the hospital and 10 ended up dead. He wasn’t going to take that chance again.

To say Draco had a special talent for running his company was an understatement. He had taken the ruins of a company his father had run to the ground long before his dealings with Mr. Riddle, and turned it into the most profitable company in the research industry when he was only 18 years old. He was a prodigy at the business game. Draco’s entire method depended on his ability to choose the best and most trustworthy employee’s, regardless of previous mishaps or work experience. The way he figured, the more people liked their jobs, the more time and effort they would invest in their projects. With an industry as vast and complex as medical research, he could afford to bend to the whims of some of his less influential employees. As far as Draco was concerned, it didn’t matter how far down on the totem pole you were, you could still have a good idea. He had spent years making fun of Hermione for being poor, but when it came down to it, she graduated as Valedictorian, while he held second place. He refused to let any more prejudices come between himself and the success of his company.

In order to make his employees happy and find the ideas that had yet to be explored, Draco had instigated a showcase for the company where any employees could sign up and introduce new ideas, whether they had anything to do with research that was already being conducted or not. It had been a huge hit, and because of it, his company had made headway on a cure for cancer and had completely eliminated the need for most vaccines. Draco had more people investing in his company after four years of ownership, than his father had had after 20 years.

That brought him back to the task at hand. What Hermione had said about not buying your way to the top, but instead having to work for it had struck a chord in him. While he knew that she was just using that to insult him, it was also something she was passionate about. The only problem was, he had no idea what she was implying he do about it. He certainly wasn’t going to give up his job just to go back to school; heaven knows what his company would look like when he got back. And really, what was the point. He already had several amendments in all of his employees contracts, stating that any bribes being given or received by members of the company would result in immediate termination. He hadn’t had a problem with it yet.

What he concluded about Hermione’s statement was that it wasn’t so much that people were able to buy their way into positions, it was the fact that people without money simply couldn’t afford the educations needed to gain positions at high profile companies such as his. Hopefully his new plan would help fix that problem. 

Hermione was confused. She couldn’t for the life of her get to sleep. Ginny, her roommate as well as her best friend’s girlfriend, had flipped off the light in their dorm room hours ago. Malfoy hadn’t been to the cafe since the night he had returned to work a week ago. Hermione found it strange as he usually made an effort to stop by and bug her at least once, if not twice a day. She wondered if something had happened to him. She groaned into her pillow. Why was the thought of Malfoy’s potential demise bothering her so much? It was Malfoy for fuck’s sake. Even if he was more civil to her, he was still Malfoy, wasn’t he?

Hermione gave up on sleeping and pulled her flashlight out from under her bed and began to read. She had to admit, she missed reading for pleasure. She had been so busy with school for the past couple of months that she hadn’t had time to read anything other than textbooks. It was nearly 7:00 before she looked up from her book. Blurry eyed and exhausted she crawled out of bed and towards the shower. She had a class at 8. How did she do this all the way through school? It was exhausting. After her shower, she quickly dressed and waved goodbye to Ginny before almost sprinting to her class across campus.

She reached her class slightly out of breath, but pleased with herself as she slid into her seat in the second row. The professor walked in not a minute later, followed by several stragglers. Professor Merriwether was looking happier than usual.

“Good news class. We have a special guest today, He is going to be giving you all a very special opportunity.”

Hermione leaned forward with interest. Then nearly fell out of her seat when in walked none other than the man for whom she had abandoned sleep. She very much hated him at that moment. Then he had to ruin it by speaking.

“As many of you may know, my name is Draco Malfoy, owner and CEO of Malfoy Incorporated.” he took a breath and scanned the crowd. If he saw Hermione, he didn’t react.

“I am here to tell you about a new program my company is starting that involves you directly. Call it an internship of sorts. Anyone who would like to, can sign up for a number of positions at my company. You would get paid the same salary as any other employee and would maintain the position throughout the remainder of your college years, provided we are happy with your work and you maintain a grade above a B. Upon your graduation, you would be able to retain your job, as well as, depending on your work performance, have the option of having the company pay for up to 80% of your college tuition.” He looked around the room again. “Any questions?”

Hermione stared at him, mouth agape, before her hand shot up. Her mind reeling. This was it, her chance. Malfoy nodded at her, still not making any implication of knowing who she was. It was rather unnerving after being torment by him for years.

“What sorts of positions are open?” She asked

“There’s a list of starting positions on the website where you sign up. Most of the positions are low level research positions.” Hermione nodded, making a mental note to check out the website. 

Draco was nervous. This in itself wasn’t all that surprising, as full of himself as he was, he still didn’t like public speaking. Now what was surprising was why he was nervous. Of all the things he had planned for, having Granger in the first class he introduced his plan to was not one of them. It had taken all of his self control to not do something stupid like insult her or confess his undying love. This was the first time he had seen her in regular clothes since they had graduated school and he hadn’t realized how much he missed seeing her in them. She also had let her hair cascade in large ringlets down her back the way it had while they were in school. Draco attempted to drag his eyes from her, eyes scouring the rest of the classroom while he talked. He prayed she didn’t notice how often his eyes fell on her.

He nearly had a heart attack when her hand shot into the air to ask a question, and the closest thing he could get to normal with her was a blank face and a nod. He had grown up with her, teased her nearly every day of their lives. He had even been able to hold a conversation with her a week ago. Why was he so self conscious with her now? Draco smothered his self doubt with an imaginary pillow as he answered her question.

He prayed she didn’t see his hands shake. 

After his time was up, Draco sat on a bench in the foyer, watching the leaves turn on the tree outside the large window. He had one other class to announce his proposition to, but that wasn’t until tomorrow. In all honesty, he had no idea why he was even still at the college. He had no real reason to be. Then he heard someone give a small cough behind him and he looked up into the eyes of the girl he’d been pining over for years. The realization that he had been hoping she’d come talk to him was enough to make him wince.

He was so doomed.

“I had a couple of questions about your program Malfoy.” She stated bluntly. Draco noticed how her t shirt, though slightly baggy, hung off of her in the best way possible. He nodded for her to sit down. Trying to ignore the fruity scent of her shampoo as she did so.

Why did she still use the same shampoo she used in high school?

“What would you like to know?” He asked her with a smirk.

Hermione knew she would regret asking the ferret for information as soon as she saw him sitting on the bench; however, she couldn’t stop her feet from dragging her closer to him. She watched him look out the window with a contemplative look on his face for a full minute before coughing slightly to get his attention. She froze when he looked at her, his eyes widened slightly with shock. She couldn’t help but think about how he was even hotter when he wasn’t scowling or sneering.

And had his eyes always been that silver?

Hermione raised her chin and asked him almost haughtily if she could ask him more questions. He nodded at the seat beside him. Hermione sat on the bench as far from him as possible, a little worried at his closeness. When she looked back up at him, his face held his customary smirk once again. She almost had trouble believing that it had ever left. She cleared her throat and began spouting off questions

“What is the pay actually like? You said it was the same as the other employees, but which employees? I’m assuming not all of your employees get paid the same? And what did you mean by ‘depending on your work performance’? What is that supposed to mean? And were you serious about paying up to 80% of the tuition? Is that the total tuition for the full four years or just the number of years you worked? and how many hours would we be required to work?” Hermione stopped to take a breath, a bit flushed. Malfoy took a breath as well, before letting out a stream of answers.

“The going rate of the position, usually around 13 an hour. If you do a good job, you get more of your tuition paid. If your supervisor gives you a recommendation with flying colors, then the chances of 80% are very high yes. Yes, the full four years. As many as you like, although, I am aware you still have class, Granger.”

Hermione stared at him as if he had grown two heads. How had he remembered all her questions? More importantly, how had he answered all of them without a hint of snideness or irritation? It was like she was looking at a completely different person.


	3. The Tour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is later than usual guys, with GISHWHES and moving I haven't had much time to write.  
> Thanks to anyone who gave me feedback on the last couple of chapters, and of course to Amanda for being my wonderful beta.
> 
> The Great and Masterful JK owns all of the characters of course.

Hermione was nervous. It wasn't a feeling she felt often. In fact most of the time, even if she felt nervous, she could push it away and move on. That wasn't an option here however. She fidgeted in her chair. She and the 14 other students who had taken up Malfoy's offer were sitting in the foyer of Malfoy Inc. waiting for the CEO himself to show up so they could start work. She was a bit disappointed. The day after Malfoy's appearance in her class, he had returned to the Starbucks every day, as per the ritual; however, he had continued maintaining the polite business demeanor he had shown at the school. Hermione found that she rather missed their bickering and insults. This new Malfoy just felt... fake.

Hermione looked up to see the very man in question appear at the top of the stairs. She found herself once again admiring the way he looked in his suit. He had filled out since high school and now looked at home in his tailored suit, rather than a gangly teenager trying to fill his father's shoes. She also noticed that he had let his hair grown out and no longer slicked it back in the ridiculous way he'd had it all the way through school. To be honest, Hermione had been noticing these things for months, but she had refused to even mentally admit it until now, with his hair practically glowing from the light seeping in through the huge atrium windows and an actual honest to goodness smile gracing his face.

He stopped in front of the group and grinned.

“Well then. I suppose we should start with a tour!” He motioned for the group to follow him through the building, pointing out things of interest and asking the new recruits questions. Hermione was still vaguely baffled by the way he treated everyone. She was pondering this when he asked her a question.

“Hmm?” she said, head snapping up to look at him. Way to go Hermione. She chastised herself in her head. Malfoy only laughed.

“Got your head in a book again Granger?” he smirked. She scowled at him, secretly glad that he was being rude. She had no idea how to handle a polite Malfoy and she didn't like not knowing things. “I was just asking you which department you were planning on entering.” Malfoy continued, unaware of Hermione's internal relief.

“I was planning on medical research.” Malfoy only nodded and moved on to the next person.

 

The entire tour, he was having a hard time concentrating because true to her character, Hermione was always in the front of the group, asking questions and waving her tantalizing smelling, unruly hair in his face every time he turned around to address the group. After the tour he led them into one of the larger conference rooms where his mother waited with all the paperwork that was needed.

“I understand that this is a big decision, and that it’s going to require a lot of work should you decide to follow through, however if you are sure you would like to take advantage of this opportunity, I have the paperwork all ready for you.” He gestured to the stack his mother was carrying. To his surprise, Hermione was the first to reach for the papers. She sat down at the table and, pulling a pen out of her purse, began filling out the forms. To Draco’s secret delight, everyone else in the group also took up the offer. He shared a secret smile with his mother as they filled out the paperwork. Finally, he was making up for his mistakes. 

 

Hermione threw herself onto her bed the moment she got back to her dorm, exhausted from the emotion of the day. She was delighted at the opportunity to work at Malfoy Inc. and were it not for the tiny little fact that the CEO hated her guts, she would have been writhing with joy. As it was, she was happy enough she could practically burst. She frowned slightly in thought. Did Malfoy actually hate her still though? Yeah he was rude to her still, but it lacked the hard edge it used to hold, and the entire time she had been on the tour, he had answered her questions without a hint of sarcasm or a snide comment. And she thought she saw him smile once, an honest to goodness smile. Not a smirk or a scowl, not even a sneer. But that was impossible wasn’t it? Malfoy didn’t smile, especially not at her.

Hermione groaned into her pillow, then rolled over and decided to call the only other person who might understand, her best friend since elementary school, Harry Potter. She had met Harry the first day of school, and after a strange incident involving an exploding toilet on Halloween, they, plus their friend Ron, had been inseparable ever since. Well nearly inseparable. The boys decided they would rather join the police academy after school, rather than going to college as Hermione and Ginny had chosen.

She rolled over and pulled out her cell phone, hitting speed dial with the ease of practice.

“Harry.” She said

“Hermione.” He replied. She could almost hear him smiling on the other end of the phone.

“I have something to discuss with you.” Hermione continued, starting to get nervous. What if he didn’t accept her decision? What if he thought she was crazy?

“Shoot.” was all he said.

“You know how Malfoy took over his dad’s company when he graduated and brought it back from the brink of destruction and turned it into one of the most successful research facilities on the planet? And you know how I’ve always wanted to be a medical researcher and stop making frappacinos day in and day out, not that there’s anything wrong with making frappacinos mind you, it just gets a bit tedious after a while-” Hermione knew she was rambling, but she couldn’t seem to bring herself to stop.

“Hermione! What are you trying to say?” Harry interrupted her

“Well Malfoy may have just offered me the opportunity of a lifetime, with a paid internship at his company.” Hermione bit her lip and waited for Harry to speak.

“Hermione that’s great! Are you going to take it?” Hermione let out a sigh of relief at his reply and thanked all her lucky stars that she had such a forgiving best friend.

“That’s just it, I already did. I’m just wondering if I made a mistake. I mean, I’ll be working for Malfoy after all, and while he’s been more civil to me lately, he’s still not the most pleasant of people.”

“Is this what you want to be doing Hermione?” He asked her carefully

“More than anything.” Hermione affirmed

“Than it doesn’t really matter what Malfoy says or does, it’s not like he’s going to be directly in charge of you anyway, just be your brilliant self and let your research do the talking.” Hermione grinned at her friend’s advice.

“Thanks, Harry.”

“Anytime, ‘Mione.” They talked for a while longer, before Hermione hung up and began to drift off to sleep, remembering the smell of Malfoy’s hair, and wondering if he smelled that good all the time. She shot up, eyes suddenly wide.

What on earth was wrong with her? How did she know what Malfoy even smelled like? Then she remembered that she had stood at the front of the tour the entire line, and there were points in some of the smaller hallways where she could have touched him by just moving her arms slightly. She groaned and flopped back onto her back. She was so going to regret this.


	4. Rediscovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to update! I started school right after I started this fic and I just now got the time and motivation to write more. I have another chapter in the works and I'll try to get it up within the next week, but midterms are coming up, so I'm not making any promises.  
> Enjoy!

 

Chapter 4

Draco walked into starbucks the way he did every other day of the week, only this time he was saddened slightly by the fact that Hermione wouldn’t be there. How could she? After all, she had a much better job now. As expected, it was a completely incompetent new girl who was running the cafe now. He stood rather impatiently at the front counter, attempting to make conversation with the inexperienced girl, as she attempted to make his Rolo frappucino. He supposed he probably should have waited to throw a secret menu item at her, but he had been craving sugar all day and he really just wanted a frappucino. He heard the bell of the door and turned around to see Hermione walk in. He smirked at her slightly.

“Miss this place then?” She flipped her hair back over her shoulder defiantly as Draco spoke.

“Maybe I just like coffee?” she retorted. Draco’s eyebrow shot up

“You still like coffee after working at a coffee shop for 2 years?” Hermione shrugged, but she didn’t answer his question he noticed. He turned back to the girl behind the counter, slightly annoyed at her incompetence.

“It was butterscotch chips. Not peanut butter.” he told her, not unkindly. Hermione watched him with a smirk of her own as the girl struggled. She leaned past him to address the girl who was now struggling with the machine.  

“You have to hit it once or twice to get it going.” Hermione told her with a smile. The girl looked as if she could have kissed her. Draco paid for the ridiculously sweet drink as Hermione ordered a bagel, to the girl’s immense relief. He sat down in his usual spot and motioned to Hermione to join him, feeling slightly giddy at the thought. He just hoped he would be able to contain it long enough to have an actual conversation with her.

Draco wasn’t even sure why it was so important to him that Hermione liked him, in fact, just five years ago, he would have considered it the worst insult anyone could ever say to him. Throughout school, his father had inflicted on him the unfairness of the scholarship students that joined in elementary school at the same time as he had. In retrospect, Lucius had probably just been sore about the amount of money he had shoveled out for Draco’s schooling, while Hermione and the other scholarship students didn’t have to pay a dime past supplies. Unfortunately, the damage was done and Draco had learned to look down upon Hermione and her friends, bullying them relentlessly throughout school. Part of this was also probably due to the knowledge that Hermione, despite not having his money or resources, still got better grades than he did, beating him in every class by a margin of a few points.

To his immense relief, she took up his offer to join him and he slowly let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. If his father ever found out about the silly crush he had on his childhood rival, he would probably have a heart attack. Draco contemplated telling his father for that very reason, there was no love lost between the two of them.

“I have to admit I was surprised.” Hermione finally said.

“What ever about?” Draco drawled with his customary smirk

“I expected you to stop coming here after I quit. I wasn’t aware you kept coming for the coffee. I’m rather relieved to discover that it’s not just me that has the pleasure of daily torture.” She gave him a smirk that could rival one of his own and he couldn’t help but be impressed.

“Ahhh. Don’t be to sure about that. You are without a doubt my favorite torture subject.”He grinned at her.

“Lucky me.” She retorted dryly. Draco laughed

“You can laugh.” She gasped “I didn't think it was possible. Draco Malfoy. Laughing. The world must be coming to an end.” Draco rolled his eyes at her teasing.

“Yeah yeah yeah Don't push it Granger.” He gave her his most menacing scowl as she broke out in laughter. He thought it was the most beautiful sound in the world and deemed it his new mission to make her laugh whenever possible, just so he could hear it again.

“Can I ask you something Malfoy?” She asked him after a minute, picking the crumbs off her bagel distractedly. She looked up at him through her hair and he gave her a nod.

“Why are you doing this? Why risk so much money on a bunch of college students?” Draco eyed her thoughtfully before answering.

“I like to think of it as more of an investment, but you’re right, I have a lot resting on the interns I just hired. To be honest I’m not sure why I took such a big risk, but I think it has something to do with the fact that I’m still trying to make up for past mistakes. I have a lot of regrets Granger, I don’t want the way I run my business to be one of them.”

 

Hermione gaped at him in a mixture of shock and awe. It suddenly occurred to her just how much Malfoy lost when he let Riddle into the school. And how much he had come since then. She was suddenly ashamed at the way she had treated him since school, it was obvious that he had changed, and yet she insisted on judging him based on who he was. She made a silent vow to start judging him based on his current actions rather than his previous ones. Starting now.

“I guess that makes sense.” She nodded thoughtfully. He smiled at her slightly. Did he look relieved? She didn’t think she’d ever get used to the sight of him smiling. But when he grinned wider and offered her a drink of his Frap, she thought that maybe she would after all.

 

It was another two hours before Hermione thought to look at her watch, suddenly she was a flurry of movement as she tried to collect her things in order to race out the door. Apologizing to Malfoy as she went. What a weird twist of fate, to apologize to a Malfoy. Not to mention she had just spent the last two hours in deep a conversation where neither of them had made an even slightly derogatory comment.

“what’s the rush Granger?” Malfoy lifted an eyebrow as he stirred the excess melted whipped cream around his long gone frap.

“It’s almost 11 and I have homework! and my project is due tomorrow morning!” She thought she heard Malfoy give a sigh but she couldn’t be sure.

“Well then  suppose we should get you home then Granger. Heaven knows the world would end if you didn’t get top marks on something.” He gave her a look, somewhere between a smirk and a smile as he threw his cup away. She suddenly found herself blushing as she stuttered out a pitiful protest.

“You really don’t have to walk me home Malfoy, I know how to get there.” She fidgeted with the edge of her T shirt

“Ah. But I want to.” Her eyes shot to his face in shock. Was he actually being… nice? she just nodded as they walked out into the frosty air.

  
  


Hermione stared up at the ceiling of her dorm room. Homework finished hours before. She simply could not sleep. Her entire conversation with Malfoy rang through her mind over and over again. She couldn’t for the life of her think why. She considered asking Ginny for advice, but the redhead was visiting Harry for the week. Finally she couldn’t stand the silence anymore and climbed out of bed. She threw a sweatshirt on so she didn’t have to bother with a bra, and slipped her feet into a pair of boots before wandering downstairs.

Pulling out the tub of ice cream she kept in the freezer specifically for this purpose, she sat down at the table and attacked it with a spoon. As much as she didn’t want to believe it, it was true that Malfoy had changed. Hermione thought about the way his eyes lit up when he talked about his business. He may have been born into the business, but it was obvious that he loved his job, and he was good at what he did.

And he hadn’t been rude to her once in their entire conversation. He had been the opposite actually. Kind, funny, charming. Hermione would have sworn he was a different person than the one she went to school with.

She recalled a conversation they had had earlier, it seemed ridiculous now, but she treasured every second of it nonetheless.

Hermione noticed a couple walk in. She leaned forward and whispered to Draco.

“They’re together because of me.” He leaned forward as well and his breath tickled her face.

“How do you figure?” She grinned and shrugged

“She always used to come in and sit in here for 15 minutes, looking all sad, and he would come in as she was leaving and do the same. They actually walked past each other through the door on multiple occasions.

“One day it was really busy, so I held off making her coffee til last, so she was still here when he came in. It just so happened, the only seat left was the one across from her.” She grinned mischievously and Draco shook his head in awe.

“And here I thought I was the sneaky one. Well done Granger.”

  
Hermione wondered when her subconscious started calling him Draco. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken so long to update guys. I love college, but it's a huge time killer.

Chapter 5

Hermione adjusted to her new schedule with the ease of practice. Every day she would go to class, then go to work at Malfoy Inc. where she was slowly gaining the trust and admiration of all of her superiors. After work, she would walk to Starbucks with Draco, where she would work on homework and he would do paperwork in companionable silence, every once in a while saying something to the other.

It was nearly a month before Hermione realized just how close she had become to her blonde ex-enemy. She hardly thought about what he had done anymore, her thoughts on that subject had been replaced with memories of him laughing and teasing her, sharing drinks and helping each other with projects. Her realization wasn’t registered without prompt however.

As the weeks wore on, Hermione was having an increasingly difficult time hiding her newfound friendship from Ginny. The soon found the effort a moot point as Ginny confronted her about it, having witnessed them talking in Starbucks one afternoon.

“Why did you not tell me about this sooner!” Ginny yelled at her in frustration.

“I’m still not even sure what this even is!”Hermione replied haughtily.

“Do you mean to tell me that a super hot guy is going out to coffee with you every day and hasn’t even occurred to you to ask him out?” Hermione was marginally surprised at Ginny’s acceptance of Draco’s change of heart, but decided that she shouldn’t remind her of his past problems just yet.

“He’s not into me like that Gin. We’re just friends. Besides, he’s my boss. It would never work.” Ginny blew her off

“I want to meet him. And as you have been hiding your friendship with him for nearly a month, I will not accept no as an answer!” Ginny wagged her finger in Hermione’s face. She knew better to argue when Ginny was in this sort of mood, she she merely sighed and nodded in acceptance.

Hermione ignored Ginny’s threat for another two weeks, under the guise of midterms. While it was true she did have midterms, she also was really dreading re-introducing Ginny to Draco. She knew that Draco had changed and that she really didn’t have much of anything to worry about. But at the same time, she was strangely possessive of this new Draco. Almost as if introducing people from their past would disturb the fragile peace that had come to rest between them. She knew it was silly, a few introductions weren’t going to change their friendship in any way. However, at the same time, this new and improved Draco, and her subsequent friendship with him seemed special to her and she almost didn’t want to share.

She waited too long however, as the calendar moved into the third week since Hermione and Ginny’s conversation, Ginny took her introduction into her own hands.

 

Ginny walked into the building, glancing around in awe at the large glass atrium. She walked up to the front desk.

“Hi. I need to speak with mister Malfoy. Could you point me in the direction of his office?” The receptionist looked up.

“Hello. Do you have an appointment?” Ginny shook her head.

“No, I’m just a friend of Hermione Granger’s. I’ve been meaning to speak to mister Malfoy for a while.” The receptionist’s demeanor changed instantly.

“Oh my gosh! Aren’t they just so cute together?!” Ginny grinned “I watch them leave every day and I mean it’s so completely obvious they like each other. I mean, they show all the signs!” Ginny let out a forlorn sigh

“Alas, Hermione insists that they are only friends. Bloody shame really. She could use a man.” she confided in the gossipy receptionist, who just nodded solemnly.

“I give it until Christmas before they announce that they’re dating. Oh. I know mister Malfoy doesn’t have a meeting right now, so go ahead and go up. Fourth floor. Can’t miss it. Oh, be sure to tell his secretary Kandiss that I sent you.” Ginny nodded. Hermione was going to hate her once she got wind of the gossip that was no doubt boiling just below the surface of the huge building. Oh well.

Ginny skipped up to the fourth floor, stopping only to pass on the message for Kandiss. She knocked on the door once before entering. Draco Malfoy looked up at her from his paperwork. Ginny appraised him thoughtfully. Damn was he hot. Hermione had good taste.

“What-” Ginny interrupted him

“Shut it Malfoy. I was going to let Hermione introduce you, but she took too long. So I’m taking matters into my own hands.” She sat in front of his desk and glared at him over the desk.

“Spill.” Draco grinned.

“Ginny Weasley. Haven’t changed much since school, have you?” Ginny just raised an eyebrow.

“What are your intentions towards Hermione, Malfoy.” She stated bluntly. The grin didn’t leave his face as he leaned back in his chair.

“If you must know, I’ve rather fancied her since Sophomore year.” Ginny’s eyebrow shot higher and she crossed her arms.

“Not buying it.”

“Didn’t think you would. In all honesty the crush probably extends back to at least 7th grade. In case, you hadn’t noticed, Hermione is a fascinating person. However, I let my pride, and family rivalries, get in the way. If you recall, she was always ahead of me by a margin of a few points, and I resented her for that. And then… Well then I fucked up. Probably set me back at least another two years. Honestly it’s a miracle she forgave me at all.” Ginny watched him talk with an increasingly amused expression. The receptionist was right. He did have it bad. She would even venture so far as to say he loved her friend. Probably didn’t know it though. Boys were so stupid sometimes. She grinned.

“Congratulations Draco. You pass. Welcome to the circle of friends!” it was his turn to raise an eyebrow at her. She just laughed. “Just so you know though, if you ever hurt Hermione in any way, you won’t be returning home in one piece!” She stood up and skipped out of the room without another word. This was going to be great. Now she needed some intel. Didn’t Luna’s boyfriend work here? What was his name? Blaise? Ginny wondered if she could convince him to help her. She would also need to get the name of that Receptionist. So much to do, so little time.

 

 


End file.
